Victorians get involved for Australia Day

Camera IconThousands of Victorians have turned out to celebrate Australia Day in Melbourne.

Thousands of people have lined Melbourne's streets for Victoria's major Australia Day festivities, unperturbed by controversy and protests.

An official flag-raising event and citizenship ceremony preceded a colourful multicultural parade through the city on Friday, as suburbs and towns across the state staged individual celebrations.

"Australia Day is a time that we all come together, regardless of our backgrounds, to celebrate how fortunate we are to be Australian," Melbourne's acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood told a gathering at town hall, where 108 residents from 36 nations became Australian citizens.

At the central Treasury Gardens, families relaxed on picnic rugs entertained by indigenous musicians as part of the Share the Spirit festival.

But it wasn't all good times on January 26 as thousands of people spurned Australia Day, calling for the national event to be rescheduled or scrapped in sympathy with indigenous people.

Outside parliament house there were scathing slogans on banners and props, including a giant cardboard coffin painted with 'colonisation' and a sign reading 'pay the rent'.

Event organiser Tarneen Onus-Williams shouted to the crowd "f... Australia" and "I hope it burns to the ground".

Two inner-Melbourne councils - Yarra and Darebin - were banned by the federal government from hosting citizenship ceremonies after controversially voting not to recognise Australia Day on January 26.

Those councils, along with Moreland City Council, did not schedule any events for Friday.

At St Kilda, a community barbecue was hosted by a right-wing group who dismissed as "nonsense" people referring to January 26 as 'Invasion Day'.

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten attended a citizenship ceremony in his Melbourne electorate of Maribyrnong on Friday and called for calm across Victoria.

"(It) doesn't matter if you're on the far right or the far left, Australia Day shouldn't be an idiot magnet for a few yobbos and idiots," he told reporters.

There was a strong police presence in Melbourne, including at St Kilda, on Friday but a spokeswoman said there were no arrests in connection with Australia Day events.

A fireworks display from the Docklands Harbour Esplanade capped off the day.